Island chefs competing for title of chef of the year

Four chefs from the Isle of Man are ready to compete for the title of I Love Manx Chef of the Year 2010.

The competition, which is the first of its kind, will be held at the Food and Drink Festival at the Villa Marina on September 25 and 26.

Chefs will have 35 minutes to produce a dish using as much Manx produce as possible.

They will be under the scrutiny of four judges, as well as festival goers.

The chefs who are taking up the challenge are:

• Angiolino Raso - cooking Manx seafood with an Italian twist
• John Dixon – cooking a trio of Manx lamb cutlets
• Yohann Bonjus - cooking steamed trout with crispy skin mushroom mille-feuilles and crab foam
• Keong Cheung - cooking rack of lamb with wild garlic and smoked cheddar cheese dauphinoise

They will be judged by Howard Quayle of the Manx National Farmers Union, Gary Cregeen of Manx Gas, Tim Crookall MHK and chef Tony Quirk.

The judges will award marks based on the use of local Manx produce, taste and presentation.

The winner will receive an all expenses paid two-day trip to a top London restaurant.

Howard Quayle said: “The recipes sound wonderful, and I’m looking forward to watching the chefs at work in what promises to be an exciting competition. It is very important to encourage restaurants, cafes and other eateries to support Manx agriculture and the economy by using ingredients produced on the Isle of Man and telling their customers about this. “Given the quality and diversity of products now on offer, I would hope that this is not a difficult task.”